"Are you... a chuunibyou?"
Mei stood at the doorway, staring at Otto inside the room.
Who would believe someone who suddenly spouted such nonsense?
How could she possibly be connected to the fate of millions in Nagazora City?
"Raiden Ryoma truly did a magnificent job protecting you. You don't know about the Honkai, you don't know about Herrschers, and you certainly don't know that your father is actually a member of an organization called Anti-Entropy, fighting for the future of humanity... and for yours," Otto said calmly.
As a father, he genuinely admired Raiden Ryoma.
Which is why Ryoma was currently eating and drinking well in a Schicksal prison.
"But now, he has been framed by Cocolia and thrown in jail. He can no longer protect you."
"Wait." Suddenly, Mei's body trembled slightly. "Did you just say... my father was... framed?"
In truth, Mei had never been willing to believe that her father was involved in an economic fraud scandal. But with no power or connections, she had no way of uncovering the truth and could only numbly wait for the day his name would be cleared.
And now, she was hearing it from the mouth of a stranger.
"That's right. Brother Ryoma was framed by his rival, Cocolia."
"And Cocolia's true target... is you. She got rid of Raiden Ryoma simply to ensure her plans would proceed unimpeded. After all, if Brother Ryoma knew you were in danger, he would move heaven and earth to take your hand and lead you to safety."
"You have a good father."
Otto remained inside the doorway. He raised his right hand and gently brushed aside a lock of Mei's lustrous hair that had fallen onto her shoulder.
Mei, however, stood frozen, her mouth agape in disbelief. Her vibrant purple eyes trembled, like ripples spreading across the surface of a still lake.
"The reason my father is in prison... is me?"
This was the first time Mei had ever heard this. Because of her... her father had been unjustly accused?
Guilt, regret, anger—these negative emotions swirled and spread through her heart.
"Yes. You have something inside of you called the Gem of Conquest. Cocolia wants to awaken it to create a divine apostle known as a Herrscher."
"Once it awakens, a Great Honkai Eruption will occur in Nagazora City. Of the millions of people here, very few will survive."
"Is this... real?" Mei still couldn't believe it.
It was like listening to something out of a fairy tale.
She knew nothing.
Raiden Ryoma had truly protected her so well.
However, Otto raised his left hand and pressed it against Mei's chest, directly over her heart.
"Shh. Feel it carefully. Your heartbeat... is not alone."
Mei's face, once pale, flushed with a rosy hue.
She had never been touched like this before, but the man's domineering fingers refused to move an inch.
Mei's heart began to race, and she could feel its frantic rhythm.
My heart is beating alone, of course it is. A normal person only has one heart.
But then, Mei's eyes shot wide open.
Because she felt something else throbbing within her body.
Its frequency was very similar to her heartbeat.
But it was, without a doubt, a foreign object.
"This is..."
"That is the Gem of Conquest." Otto withdrew his hand and clasped both behind his back.
"It is the key to becoming a Herrscher." In reality, Mei didn't need this gem. She was destined to become the Herrscher of Thunder in this era. When the time was right, she would awaken regardless.
"Cocolia framed your father and systematically destroyed your social life. Her goal was to isolate you, to destabilize your spirit."
"Negative emotions, a Herrscher Gem, and sufficient Honkai energy. When those three things converge..."
"The divine apostle sent to destroy humanity—the Herrscher—will be born."
Otto raised his hands, clenched them into fists, and then flung them open, mimicking an explosion.
"But don't worry. Even though you are powerless, I don't wish to see that happen either."
Otto was lying. His goal was the same as Cocolia's: to awaken Mei as the Herrscher of Thunder.
That was why he hadn't taken her directly back to Schicksal.
"I can help you. I can help you rescue Brother Ryoma. However, I have one condition."
Mei's gaze wavered.
She remained silent.
Save Father...
This was truly an offer she could not refuse.
"And that is, to leave your everyday life behind and become my subordinate."
"Be my sword, and help me purge the enemies who stand in my way."
In truth, Mei was easy to persuade.
Once you peeled away her shell of loneliness and entered her heart, she would continuously accommodate you, even change herself for you.
Otto wasn't thinking about healing her past wounds or pulling her out of her self-imposed isolation right now. Those things took time.
All he needed to do was give her a purpose and an offer she couldn't refuse—just like he had with Kiana.
She and Kiana were both lost souls.
And in a way, Mei was very much like the young Otto, locking her heart away, unrecognized by the world.
But all it took was one person to reach out a hand, and she would forever remember their kindness.
And so, Otto wanted to be Mei's Kallen.
He decisively grabbed Mei's hand, pulling her from the hallway into the classroom.
Mei stumbled slightly but managed to steady herself.
Otto raised his right hand, and the tachi-shaped Seven Thunders of Retribution materialized in his grip.
"God bestows upon me a crown, and with lightning as my bow, I shall shatter all creation, the King of Conquest."
Otto's voice was solemn as he placed the hilt of the Divine Key against Mei's chest.
(Mei can't do it.jpg)
With his other hand, he took hers. Mei's fingers trembled, but she did not resist.
Her hand closed around the hilt, and Otto's hand closed over hers.
His voice softened.
"The first time you met your fate, you were caught unprepared and were utterly defeated. But, the second time..."
His emerald eyes met her amethyst ones.
"You will already have a sword in your hand."
Go teach Cocolia a lesson. Go rescue your father. And then, go and fight for me.
Otto had already written the script for his hero. All that was left was for the marionette to step onto the stage and perform.
However.
Otto suddenly felt the hilt in his hand tremble. At first, he thought it was just Mei's hand shaking, but then he realized her entire body was quivering.
The person trembled, and the blade shuddered.
The Herrscher of Thunder and the Key of Thunder.
It was as if they had begun to resonate.
Arcs of lightning danced through the girl's long, vibrant purple hair.
Otto instinctively released Mei's hand and took half a step back.
[Oho?]
It was the System's voice.
And it was dripping with schadenfreude.
A pair of crimson eyes snapped open.
"Human."
The voice was filled with majesty, like an empress looking down upon all of creation.
She stared at Otto as if he were an insignificant insect.
The Queen of Thunder gripped the Key of Thunder. With a flash of lightning and a roar of thunder, she threw a simple punch, and Otto's body was sent flying.
"Just now."
Lightning crackled in her palm. The Queen of Thunder placed her left hand on her own chest, her cold gaze fixed on Otto.
"You touched here, didn't you?"